Slight Freedom
by Gilraen Iathrim
Summary: Meera feels closed in, locked up by her brother's harsh rules, and as she receives a suggestion which is too hard to pass on, things change. Together with the soldier William, she leaves the palace to find her own freedom, unknowing that her brother is on her trail. [Based on The King's Sister. OCxOC]


**A/N: **Before we begin, I just wanted to say a few words: This is a short story based on my Narnia fanfic "The King's Sister." This takes place some time after Caspian has become king and it's also slightly based on my roleplay as Meera on Instagram, where our Caspian is to marry an OC called Carolina, and that is the woman Meera mentions.  
William is an OC of mine, like Meera, which I created as her love interest in the roleplay. He's a soldier of the Narnian army and comes from a small village by the sea. While he is only supposed to guard the royals, he has found himself growing closer and closer to Meera, and she has done the same to him.  
My account on Instagram is MeeraOfNarnia, if you wish to follow Meera closer, and there are also more info on William there.  
Faceclaims for the characters are as follows (if you want to put a face on them):  
Meera - Emily Rudd  
William - Augustus Prew  
Caspian - Ben Barnes  
Tira - Sophie Turner

There will be another part on this sometime soon!  
Happy reading! :)

~O~

**1. **The silent knock on the door, echoing through the room caught the young princess by surprise and she rose from her seat by a small table.

Her dark hair hung in a simple braid over one shoulder and her fingers were smudged by coal, from her long hours drawing by that same table.

Pulling the door open, she found herself face to face with a familiar guard and a smile reached her face.

"Hello, William." She stepped aside to let him in, but the young man only changed his pose where he stood. "I was not expecting you." She brushed a hand over her face, as if clearing it of wild hair strands, and the young soldier noticed how dark coal left its mark on the smooth skin.

"Your highness, this may be very straight-forward and I hope you will forgive me for it." He spoke hastily and his bright eyes darted around the hallway, as if expecting them to get company at any moment. "But I have noticed how sad you have been during the last few weeks and I wished to give you a proposition." His eyes met her and he saw the hopeful look in hers. It made him more determined to go ahead with what he was to offer her. "I wish to invite you to come along with me to visit my family."

Her surprise was obvious and he opened his mouth to take it all back, when a smile rose on her lips and she nodded eagerly.

"Of course, I would love to!" She stepped forward, as if to embrace him, but she stopped halfway as she suddenly became aware of her disheveled appearance. "But, how are we going to go about it? I am the princess, the sister of the king. It will not be easy, Will." A frown creased her brow and he sighed, knowing very well what she meant.

"I am aware of this, but trust me, Meera, I have it all thought out." He drew a deep breath before he started to explain. It was a complicated plan, but one he was sure would work.

~O~

Meera took one last look in the mirror, studying her appearance, before she gripped the small satchel and the quiver which rested upon her bed.

With her plain dress, which William had borrowed from one of the maids in the palace, and one of her simplest cloak, she looked like any other girl. Nothing about her said she was a princess and, to her, it was a great relief.

The only thing that could reveal her now was if someone she knew recognised her face. And that, she hoped, would not happen.

She did not even think about how it would look that she ran away in the middle of the night, together with a soldier of the palace. All she wished for was for some time away from the royal life. And, more importantly, her own brother.

While she wished Caspian all happiness, there were some things which she could not fully handle when it came to him.

Ever since he had taken over the Narnian throne and became the king he had always been destined to become, he had started to change. His duties had started to become more important than anything else.

And that was not even the worst part.

It had been when he had fallen in love, the downward spiral had begun.

While Meera enjoyed the company of Caspian's wife-to-be, a sweet girl she had known for a long time, she did not like the way her brother was paralysed in her presence. Too often, Meera had found herself cast aside, forgotten and left behind because of the love which had sparked between the other two.

Her brother had accused her of jealousy when she had brought up the subject. He had said she could not handle that there were room for love for others than her in his heart, something which she found ridiculous.

She was 18, she was not the young girl who was jealous of the elders because they kept secrets away from her.

No, she was simply feeling betrayed. Betrayed, lonely, locked in.

For while Caspian travelled around his country, exploring and bringing home gifts for the love of his heart, Meera was closed in. Her brother did not allow her to leave without him, a thing which she found ridiculous. She was no child which needed her older brother around.

And this was now why she was leaving. She needed her freedom and to leave the palace in secrey was the only way she could get it.

~O~

Meera sneaked down the stairs of the palace, her quiver and satchel hung over her shoulder. By her side was her ever faithful dog, which she did not have the heart to leave behind. Bae was not simply someone she could leave behind to be neglected.

As she entered the courtyard, she pulled the hood of the cloak up over her head and gripped the collar of her dog to keep him by her side. She was happy he understood the importance of silence. Otherwise, they would have been found out long ago.

Sneaking across the stone, she passed unseen out through the gates and along the long bridge leading away from the palace. Against the stars and the bright moon, she could see the silhouette of a rider, and she smiled to herself. She was almost there.

~O~

William's hands played nervously with the mane of his horse, his nerves making his otherwise calm self jumpy.

What had even given him the courage and the idea of suggesting something like this to the princess? If anyone would have figured him out, he probably would have been hanged.

That she had actually agreed to it had been more of a surprise to him, though. He knew she was one for defying rules, a thing he had learnt the hard way, but he had never thought she would do something like this so easily. She had been almost eager as he had given her clothes to use for a disguise and told her which ways to use to get herself and her faithful dog out.

His eyes turned towards the bridge and through the darkness, came the familiar form of the princess and her dog at her side.

William had been quite reluctant to bring the dog along. He knew that the young animal would be well cared for in the palace, but Meera had insisted on bringing him. It had been her only term. She wanted her dog along, and that was how it was going to go.

"Did everything go well, your highness?" William met her gaze as she stopped beside him, her hand coming up to pat the neck of the horse.

"It did." She nodded, a smile coming to her lips. "And William, remember, you cannot call me 'your highness' during this journey. It is Meera or nothing."

"Of course." He smiled back, before he held out his hand for her to take. "Let us go."

She took his hand, her palm smooth against his worn one, and he pulled her up behind him on the horse. It would wake less attention if they shared.

"Thank you for doing this, William." Her arms wrapped around his waist and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to concentrate on the road as he urged the horse forward.

"It is nothing, Meera."

~O~

They travelled through the night, leaving the shadow of the palace far behind. They thought it best to do this, as they needed to put as much distance between it and them. The further away they went, the longer would it take for any guards to pursue them.

It was by sunrise that William saw the first signs of his home and he smiled as he recognised the small village, perched on a cliff down by the sea.

Smoke travelled softly on the wind, coloured red against the rising sun and the sea sparkled like diamonds. It was all so familiar to him.

Turning his head, his eyes grazed Meera's sleeping face where she leaned against him, her arms still wrapped tightly about his waist. He hated to wake her, but he knew she would not wish to miss this.

"Meera, we are here." He nudged her gently and her eyes flickered open, revealing the blue colour in them.

"Oh, it is beautiful!" Her voice was tired, but her eyes sparked with excitement as she took in the scene before them, as if she had never seen anything like it.

As they reached the village, William let the horse come to a halt and he and Meera slipped off, stretching their stiff bodies.

"My parents' house is not far." He nodded down the main road lead through the village, where people had already started to move around, preparing the morning's meals and the day's business.

Meera started down the road, her dog by her side. William would have thought the animal would have grown tired quickly, but he had kept an even pace with them throughout the night, only showing his thirst and dropping energy levels by letting his tongue hang out of his mouth. The animal was much more persistent than he had ever imagined.

~O~

Only William's mother was yet awake when they reached the small cottage. She had just fetched water from the well, when she saw her son and the young woman coming down the path.

"William!" She smiled widely, setting down her bucket before hurrying towards the young man.

"Hello, mother." His mother's embrace was familiar and he first then realised how much he had missed it. He truly did not visit his family often enough.

"Did the journey go well?" Cana, who always worried about her son when he was away, let her eyes travel over him for a moment, before she again noticed the young woman who stood beside them, a brown dog at her side. "And who may you be?"

"Mother, this is Meera. She is a friend of mine." William met Meera's gaze and sent her a comforting smile as she carefully came forward to greet his mother.

"It is very nice to meet you", came Meera's humble greeting. "I have heard so much about you from William."

Cana found herself surprised, not fully caught up on what was happening. Her son always came himself and he never brought any friends. Especially not female friends.

However, the young woman was nice and the elder found herself liking her instantly.

"Welcome to our home, Meera." To Meera's surprise, she stepped forward and embraced her warmly. "I hope you will feel like home."

~O~

Caspian was awakened by a knock on the door, a little too early for his taste, and he turned in his bed, blinking against the light.

"Who is it?" Rising, he pulled on a pair of pants, before heading towards the door.

"I am sorry to wake you at this hour, your highness, but it is about your sister." The voice from outside was that of a servant and Caspian opened the door with a sigh.

"What does she want?" Meera had been unusually grumpy for the past weeks and he guessed she had done something wrong. Again.

"She is gone, your highness. I went to wake her and she was gone. Only this note was left by her bed, addressed to you." The servant held forward a note, with Caspian's own name scribbled upon it.

Unfolding it, without knowing what to expect, Caspian started to read.

_Dearest Caspian,_

_I apologise for leaving in such a manner, but I felt I needed some time away. _

_I wish for you not to worry for me, as I am in safe hands._

_I believe I need to explain why, however:_

_We have always been so very close, dearest brother, and you have always been _

_such a good friend to me. _

_However, things has changed ever since you fell in love. Of course, I wish_

_for your happiness in life and I could not be happier for you and the woman you is to marry,_

_but I feel locked in, closed away from the world by your harsh rules._

_I always hoped for more freedom when you became king, and for a while, I had it. _

_But now, because you think me jealous and unfair, my freedom has been taken away._

_This is why I have left. _

_I need my own freedom, brother, if so only for a few days._

_Do not worry, I will be back._

_But please, do think of what I have said. You cannot lock me up and take away my freedom_

_Bae is with me, as is a dear friend, so do not worry for my safety._

_I will see you in a few days._

_Your loving sister,_

_Meera._

Anger sparked in his mind and he looked up sharply at the servant.

"Who has gone with her? Who has dared to defy me and take her away?" He crushed the note in his hand as he turned back to his room, starting towards his wardrobe.

"I believe it is one of the guards. For one of the horses is gone and the belongings of one of the soldiers as well." The servant spoke carefully, afraid of his master's anger.

"What is his name?" Throwing open the doors of the wardrobe, his eyes searched for clothes for a journey.

"It is Sir William, my liege."

~O~

The breakfast in the small cottage was a noisy experience for Meera, who usually ate alone with only silence as her only companion.

The family had three children, out of which William was the oldest and his younger siblings Callem and Tira were 15 and 17, respectively.

Meera enjoyed their company, as they were all nice people who loved sharing the little they had with others.

William's father, Gregory, were an old soldier, just like his son. He had served under Caspian IX and done much good for his country, which had earned him the little money he had.

To hear her father mentioned by others who did not know she was his daughter, made Meera's heart pound deeply in sorrow. Her father had been a wonderful man, even though she had barely known him, and she was happy to hear him so well spoken of.

"So, where do you come from, Meera?" Tira was the one who brought up her origin first, and that when they started to clear the table together.

"I work at the palace as a maid." The story was one she and William had decided on together and she thought it a good history. If they had placed her in a village somewhere else, it would have been hard for her to answer further questions.

"That sounds very exciting." The younger girl swept her red hair out of her eyes and smiled. "And that is where you met my brother, I believe?" The interest in Tira's eyes told Meera that she probably thought their relationship was a romance which would end in marriage and happiness.

Meera knew better than that, of course. She could never marry William, unless she ran away for good and that was something she wanted to avoid. That would ruin whatever relationship she had with her brother for good.

"Indeed, that is true. The people working in the palace usually meet a lot." She sent William a quick look, where he stood leaning against the mantlepiece, talking to his parents and brother. For a moment, he looked up and their eyes met and a warm smile came to his lips, making his eyes glow.

"Have you ever met the king? Or the princess?" Tira interrupted Meera's thoughts and she turned back around, gripping a towel from a hook to start drying the plates which Tira had started to wash.

"I have, once." She kept her eyes turned away, in a try to act casual about the whole thing.

"I have heard the princess is most beautiful. And the king is supposed to be very handsome. Imagine marrying a king. All the fine things you would have." Tira's voice had turned dreamy and there, for a moment, Meera felt like telling her not to romanticise the royal life. To her, it was every day life and she did not like thinking of the fact that she had everything, while people like Tira and her family only had enough to survive. It would drive her mad in the end.


End file.
